


The Synth Who Would Be King

by RedheadedBlondeBitxh



Series: Small Touches and Subterfuge [5]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Nora is not here, also kinda a twist if you're up to date with the main fic, just a blurb, musings of a curious old man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26867968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedheadedBlondeBitxh/pseuds/RedheadedBlondeBitxh
Summary: Father has questions about his mother. A small part of him begins to understand her.
Series: Small Touches and Subterfuge [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938718
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	The Synth Who Would Be King

Shaun looked down through the window to his suite, watching as S9-23 ran pasted the elevator, a nervous looking Liam Binet chasing after him with limited success. The child synth project was one that had been years in the making, their progress having been regretfully delayed by the unexplained disappearance of his lead scientist Miriam Gressle over twenty years prior. It had taken them decades to piece together the bare bones of her research from the limited terminal entries she’d left them, but the idea had finally come to fruition.

He recalled Doctor Li’s horrified expression at the board meeting when he’d divulged they had the final piece to proceed with the project, rivaled only by Ayo’s steadfast objection about the potential ramifications of embarking on such an endeavor.

Why he’d chosen to model S9-23 in his image, he couldn’t quite explain. There was something strangely endearing about seeing the child synth mirror many of his own interests when he’d finally been permitted access to the Institutes records at his age. Much like himself, the synth had a proclivity for tinkering and experimentation. It would appear that as much as nurture had a hand in brain and personality development, there was a clear element of nature to it as well.

Not for the first time in recent months, Shaun wondered which of his parents he had been most like. By all accounts, his mother seemed to be a resilient woman, infiltrating the Brotherhood of Steel and finding herself in control of an army of settlers only a few months after leaving the vault. But his sources indicated she wasn’t particularly fond of working with technology or terminals, designating such responsibilities to the prototype synth she'd been seen to frequent the company of.

He though of his father, Nathaniel Hartt. There was very little known about the man, besides the hushed whisper or rumors floating across the Commonwealth. Even the reporter woman in Diamond City had not divulged much about his father in her exposé besides that he was murdered trying to protect him back in the Vault. Shaun had read the reports, but to read how his mother has experienced the event had been... unsettling.

It was almost just deserts that Shaun had been able to lead his mother straight to Kellogg, stationed in Fort Hagen awaiting his next ‘mission briefing’ that would never come. As much as the mercenary had been an asset to the Institute over the years, Shaun had begun to grow distrustful of the man, and the opportunity to analyze how his mother would respond when faced against him after all those years was too good to pass up.

What he hadn’t expected was for her to kill Kellogg before he’d even raised his weapon to her. It had come as a shock that the very woman who had given birth to him, who seemed to collect friends like spare bottlecaps as she trekked through the wasteland and dispense charity at every turn, could also be a cold-blooded murderer.

Every update he got about her activities only served to confuse him further. She was the biggest puzzle he’d yet to solve, and she was headed right to their base. Shaun knew it would only be a matter of days until her team wrapped up their construction of the Molecular Relay and she would be there, right at their metaphorical door.

He didn’t know what to expect when she’d arrive. By all accounts, she was unpredictable, an unknown quantity as it where.

Would she massacre everyone in sight or would she fall to her knees in shock?

Shaun turned back to the entryway to his room, raising his eyebrow as S9-23 came barreling into the room, a horrified Liam turning the corner with a start.

“Father! I apologize, he just got away from me-” The young man defended, shooting the child an irritated glare.

“It’s quite alright, Mr Binet... Tell me, you referred to S9-23 as ‘he’... Why?” Shaun asked, watching as he shifted uncomfortably at the question.

“I apologize, sir. Sometimes I forget he’s... it’s...” Liam cleared his throat and looked away.

“Interesting. Is S9 showing any new behaviors?” He prodded, looking toward where the synth was peaking out from under the stairs.

“Uh, he appears to be fond of hide and seek this week...” Liam offered, before adding with a frown, “And running away from me.”

Shaun could feel a small smirk at the comment and turned toward S9. “S9-23. Are you running away from Mr Binet here?”

“Yes Father.” The child asked, looking up at him in a way that inspired an unfamiliar sensation of warmth in his chest.

“Why?” Shaun prodded, trying not to allowed the amusement at S9’s sudden stubborn streak.

“Because... It’s fun?” S9 offered shyly as he looked back toward Liam.

_That was certainly not a behavior I would have engaged in at that age... Definitely not with the claim of it being... fun. Interesting. Maybe S9 is more like Mother than we expected._

“I see.” He offered, turning to the young man. “Mr Binet, please document the events of your last few days with S9 and have the report on my desk by the end of the week.”

“Yes sir.”

“Your work with the synth this week has been noticed and appreciated. X6-88 should be back later this evening and you can release S9 back into his care.”

“Oh... Yes of course, Father.” Liam answered, frowning at the order as he looked toward S9.

Shaun noticed his apparent hesitant immediately and made a mental note to ask Doctor Li about her impression of S9. It seemed that many of his employees were becoming quite fond of the synth, regarding him just as if he were a human child.

_How curious._

“Mr Binet. Please bring S9-23 to our new arrival for evaluation before releasing him into X6-88’s care.” He ordered, turning back to the window as he spotted the small brunette woman in question. “I’d like to know what Doctor Swinton makes of the most recent developments.”


End file.
